I Shall Sleep No More Forever

This is a very vague description of my first stat at The McKittrick.  I will be writing more describing the rest of my previous visits.  Enjoy!

Over the past three months, I have spent ten plus hours within the walls of The McKittrick Hotel.  Previous to my first visit a friend of mine told me "there is life before Sleep No More, and there is life after Sleep No More."  At the time I though this statement was a bit of an exaggeration... now I know differently.

Lets start at the beginning, shall we.  I went down to the show like I would any other, nice polo, pressed jeans etc.  My friends pulled up in the driveway and off we went.  As we walked up to the venue I was lost.  There was no marquee, no stage door, there was no sign that the venue even existed.  This state of confusion set the tone for life post-Sleep No More.

When we finally got to the lobby of The McKittrick, we stepping into an old 1930s esque elevator.  This brought us up to the top floor where we would check in.

The doors opened into a dimly lit room.  As I stepped out a woman dressed in 1930s clothing passed by me.  Now normally this would seem like an elegant costume, or flashy steampunk, but it wasn't.  The McKittrick IS the 1930s.  The place is covered with wood floor panels.  The walls are covered with wallpaper from the 30s.  Live Jazz is playing in the Manderley bar.  It smells of good booze.  There is not a single person there that feels like they belong in the Twenty First Century.  I had just taken a time machine to the 30s.

The check in process is simple and elegant.  The bell hop asks, "Is this your first stay at The McKittrick?"  To which I reply, "Yes, it is."  She nods with a mischievous smile. "Enjoy your stay.", she says.  She hands me a playing card and tells my that that is my ticket.  She informs me that when the time is right, I will be able to access Sleep No More from the ground level.  I will be brought up by the elevator from which I arrived.  I nod and thank her.  I don't remember what my friends were doing.  I was lost in the mystique of The McKittrick.

From check in we head over to The Manderley.  The music is vibrant, the crowd is enjoying themselves in a rowdy, yet calm way that you only see in the movies.  The bartender is having an interesting conversation with a woman about music.  He smiles at her and turns to me.  I order Makers on the rocks.  He smiles and walks off.  The woman is still chatting about music.  I engage that conversation for a bit until my drink arrives.  Once I get my drink, I turn to my friend and tell him everything I'm telling you.  He nods.  He had seen the show once before and the magic had not worn off.  What he said was true, life before and life after.

We finish our drinks and head downstairs.  The time has come to head into the show.  We stood in line for about five minutes before they took us up.  About ten or twelve people crammed into the elevator.  When the doors opened we stepped out into a dimly lit room.  We walked for a bit and wound up in a pitch black hallway.  The ground was cold and ambient noise rang out around us.  Then, all of a sudden we were in a stunning replica of the Manderley.  Folks offered us drink, to which we accepted.  We took a seat and prepared to enter.

When our card was called we stepped into a tiny room.  Everyone was handed a white mask.  We were told not to removed the mask while inside Sleep No More.  Then we we ushered into another elevator.  A man greeted us, "fortune favors the bold."  The doors opened and a woman bolted out of the elevator.  The man then closed the doors with a smile, and brought the rest of us down one floor.  The doors opened once more, and out we stepped.

This was sensory overload.  I went from feeling like I was watching the 30s (somewhat aware that it was a show) to BEING in the 30s.  Breathing in the 30s.  Living in the 30s.  Characters were in free roam, and the story was ours to figure out.  I followed Duncan for a bit in an attempt to figure out what was going on.  After about twenty minutes I left in search of something new.  My first visit to the show went like that for the entire three hours.  Looking around not truly following any character.  For my first time I just wanted to live in The McKittrick.  I did.  I have been ever since.

I return for a fourth time tomorrow night.

Until then...

 ... Lets Keep Dancing

An Open Letter about Original Scores, Awards and What They're Worth

To those up in arms about 'Whiplash' not being nominated for Best Original Score,

'Whiplash' is an amazing film. It undoubtedly should be nominated for Best Director, Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.  With that said, 'Whiplash' should NOT be nominated for Best Original Score.  The film has two songs (the two main musical themes of the film) "Whiplash" and "Caravan" that were optioned for the film.  Due to these brilliant pieces of music being optioned, the film is ineligible for Best Original Score because the score indeed is not totally original.  This is the Academy standing by their guidelines and no one can fault them for that.  The film is superb, as is the music, but it is not original.

To be honest, I'm happy the Academy stood by their morals and made the choice not to include the score just for the sake of including it.  I love the music of 'Whiplash'.  I adore the film, but in this case, the Academy did the right thing.

We can't criticize the Academy for snubbing films and reward them for cutting corners.  If the score for 'Whiplash' was nominated, it would be cutting corners. I love the Oscars.  I always have, and I do not always agree with the year's nominations or the year's wins, for that matter.  However, in this case, I am happy that they did the right thing.  The score not being nominated doesn't make it any less brilliant.

Now, with all this said, I will be very upset if 'Whiplash' is not nominated for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing and Best Supporting Actor.  If that happens, it appears the credit I so gladly give the Academy for not nominating a score I love, will be retracted for not nominating editing, direction and writing that is more than deserving.  Time will tell.  The Oscars are a funny thing.

The major thing to remember is that people rarely remember Oscars, but they always remember superb cinema and there is not doubt, 'Whiplash' is superb cinema!

- George McCann

'Inherent Vice' (The Brilliance of Simplicity) *SPOILERS*

I had the rare privilege of being one of the first people to see Writer/Director Paul Thomas Anderson's latest film, 'Inherent Vice' at The New York Film Festival.  Let me say now, this is not only one of my favorite films of the year, this is one of my favorite films of all time.

I love Paul Thomas Anderson.  I will watch the man make a movie about making pancakes.  My love for PTA aside, I feel 'Inherent Vice' is a rare and very special film.

There is a lot to love about 'Inherent Vice' - the cast,  the soundtrack, the fact that it is the first adaptation of a Thomas Pynchon novel, etc.  After seeing the film, I couldn't totally pinpoint what it was I loved so much about it.  After sitting and thinking about the film for a week, I have come to a fairly radical conclusion.  I love 'Inherent Vice' because it is simple.  It is a simple, complex beautiful film.  That is a major oxymoron.  Let me explain.

'Inherent Vice' isn't really about anything.  Take that in for a second.  Every film has a story, a plot, if you will and that is certainly true of 'Inherent Vice' and it's plot is interesting and a ton of fun; BUT in the end, this film isn't about the plot at all.  'Inherent Vice' like many PTA films is about the character's journey in this grand world he (and in this case Thomas Pynchon) created.  What is different about this film is the world leads back to where it began.  Things happen, hilarity ensues, but when all is said and done, 'Inherent Vice' comes down to Doc (Joaquin Phoenix's character).  It is all about Doc.  How Doc feels, what Doc sees, what Doc wants and maybe what Doc can't or doesn't have.  The film is never about the crime or the drugs or the wacky characters running in and out of the "plot".  It is about the simplest of things... a man and the woman he loves.

You see, the beauty of 'Inherent Vice' is although so much is happening, plot twists, corrupt cops, Nazi bikers, hookers, drugs, Government spies, and a Private Investigator trying to put all these puzzle pieces together, the puzzle doesn't matter.  Doc's emotions are the puzzle.  Doc's emotions are the plot.  The investigation in 'Inherent Vice' is really an investigation of emotions, as opposed to the plot device of investigating a crime.

So, at the end of the day, the movie starts and ends in the same place - in Doc's house with the woman Doc loves and neither one of them knowing what to do about how they feel... but they're both feeling it.

'Inherent Vice' is a blast and a half and upon first viewing may seem hard to follow and strange, but at the end of the day, all of the wild antics that take place never really mattered in the grand scheme of the story.  The story is the simplest story of them all... the first story ever told... boy meets girl.

And this is why I love Paul Thomas Anderson.  He made a two and a half hour beautiful, comedic thriller that had me laughing and on the edge of my seat.  When the movie ended,  I was pondering the emotions I felt and began thinking about the film for a week.

What I realized, and what, in my opinion, is the best part of 'Inherent Vice' is it could have started and ended in one scene with two seconds and three words.  "I love you."

- George McCann

'Filth', what does it mean? *SPOILERS* (An Analysis of the character Bruce Robertson)

I saw Jon S. Baird's new film 'Filth' yesterday.  It is based on a Irvine Welsh novel of the same name.  The film stars James McAvoy, who delivers both his best performance and the best performance of 2014 thus far.  I don't want to review this film.  I want to talk about what it means, or at least what it means to me.

McAvoy's character, Bruce could be simply viewed as a corrupt cop and a royal ass.  Part of this, is true.  He is corrupt and he can be a royal ass, but this is a minor point in a much larger picture.  As you may have seen in the trailers or if you've seen the film, Bruce is big on drugs, sex, manipulation and his obsessions.  This is all true... Bruce is also a mentally unstable man.  This is the area of the film that interested me the most.

'Filth' is essentially the tale of one man's decline into depression and madness.  The film is a beautiful, heartbreaking character study of a man who appears to have untreated bipolar disorder.  Bruce is a man with a good heart who has totally lost his way.  The film begs a few questions.  Could he get better if he chose to get help and take his medication?  Another interesting aspect of the film is Bruce's past.  Not only was he a mess due to his wife leaving him, he also lost his brother as a child.

Parts of the film are incredibly funny, mainly because they feel real.  As outrageous as the film is, it is also hysterical.  By the end of the film, those funny moments are actually heartbreaking because they are a perpetuation of this man's illness.

Baird has dropped us (the audience) into the mind of a man who can't get his issues together.  In the process we laugh, gasp and, in the end, want to cry.  James McAvoy makes us care deeply for a man that outwardly is filth, but because we feel like we are with him, we know he has good somewhere deep inside.  The good in Bruce is what makes the film so brilliant.  When Bruce shows his heart, opens up and informs us that he is a good man who needs help, we can't help but root for him.

Bruce states that the same rules apply to everyone.  In reality, they don't apply to anyone, except him. Bruce created rules, obsessions and challenges because of loss, his illness and the darkness he lives in... Bruce is a broken man.

The brilliance of this film is that no one truly sees Bruce as filth except for Bruce.  Bruce's rules are the the cage he has built for himself to hide from the world, to hide from his loss and it takes him deeper and deeper down a dark rabbit hole of madness.

In the end, 'Filth' is wickedly funny, dark, heartbreaking and truly a character study that is a cautionary tale about getting lost and the importance of getting help.

The film tells us that the same rules apply to all of us, and this is where 'Filth' thrives.

- George McCann

EXCLUSIVE REVIEW: '2 BUDS' Episodes 5-8

If you enjoyed the first 4 episodes of ‘2 Buds’, episodes 5 - 8 will have you caught hook, line and sinker.  Every aspect of the series is stepped up in the last four episodes.  Chase Lee’s writing and direction became crisper, and he hits a nice stride with a different, yet effective plot point near the end of the series.

Kevin Martin’s acting is far better in the second half of the show than in the first, and he seemed to hit a groove that wrapped his arc nicely.  As for Lee, his dramatic and comedic timing stay strong, yet there is something more endearing in the second half of the season and that has to do with his writing.

As a first time writer/director, Chase Lee found an interesting, different and cool story with ‘2 Buds’.  Part of me wants to see this series with a bigger budget and numerous writers and directors.  Everyone on the project seemed to know what they were aiming for, and for the most part, they hit the target.  There are still some issues, mainly editing and some cheesy moments in the dialogue, but overall the second half of this show reeled me in and held on.  

This is  a solid effort from a production crew with little or no budget, and a story worth telling.  Although, I wish the show hit a groove a little earlier on, I’m glad I stuck around for a really good second half.  Once you sit through the raunchy male humor, ‘2 Buds’ brings the human heart.

3.75/5  

George McCann

Tribeca Wrap Up 2014

The Tribeca Film Festival, in my opinion, is one of the few indie festivals around.  Yes, they have some big names here and there but, for the most part, they are independent and I love it!  This is my second year at Tribeca and I thought I would give a little wrap up/rundown of the films and events I saw.  Here we go!

The World Premiere of 'Gabriel':

Directed by Lou Howe and starring Rory Culkin.  I am very, very mixed on this film.  It is the tale of a mentally ill young man's search for love.  Although it has a superb performance from Rory Culkin, I didn't feel the film was firing on all cylinders.  There were aspects of the film that Howe specifically left out of the story (he spoke about this in a Q&A) that I think would have better served the film had they been in the movie.  I do think it is an interesting film that people should have an opinion on one way or another.  A release date has not been set.

The USA Premiere of 'Starred Up':

Directed by David Mackenzie and starring Jack O'Connell, Ben Mendelsohn and Rupert Friend.  This film is the tale of a young man in a young offenders' prison who is "starred up" to a more secure prison due to his violent nature.  'Starred Up' is one of the best, most haunting, disturbing and brilliant prison films I have ever seen.  O'Connell, Mendelsohn and Friend all give subtle outstanding performances.  David Mackenzie made a choice to not use much music in the film and it leaves the audience feeling isolated, desperate and palpably tense.  I don't know if/when 'Starred Up' will get a release date due to the violent and rough content in the film but, if this came out in December, it would be a major Oscar contender and is my second favorite film of the year.  It left me thinking days after the film ended.  I can't recommend it enough, but be prepared; it is a tough viewing experience.

Tribeca Talks: A Conversation With Aaron Sorkin:

This was my favorite event of the festival.  My screenwriting hero, Aaron Sorkin spoke about his career, the film industry and took some questions from the audience.  Listening to Sorkin speak about his television and film career was an amazing privilege.  He clearly spoke from an honest place and just listening to him speak was like being in a masters screenwriting class.  I can't really express what the event was like because... you just had to be there.  What I can say is this, if you get the chance to hear Aaron Sorkin speak, SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY.  It will likely be an experience that you will never forget.

I will leave you with this quote from Mr. Sorkin:

"The most valuable thing you have is your own voice." ~ Aaron Sorkin

That was my experience at The Tribeca Film Festival 2014.

- George McCann

EXCLUSIVE: '2 Buds' Web Series Review

‘2 Buds’ is a web series from first time Writer/Director/Actor Chase Lee.  The first 4 episodes center on Matt (Chase Lee, who is a comedic and dramatic standout) and Luke played by Kevin Martin.  The center of the story is Matt’s girlfriend broke up with him and his life is at a stand still while he is in the process of being filmed for a reality series in Texas.  

Matt has some emotional baggage, not just from the break-up, but from some tough life experience.  As for Luke, he’s getting married and seems to be the one person Matt fully trusts, even more than he trusts himself. 

‘2 Buds’ fully captures how two male roommates and best friends talk, hangout and fight.  When comedy aspects of the writing hit, they really hit; but when they miss, it can fall a bit flat.  On the flip side, the drama hits pretty hard, minus one or two brief moments; although it always seems to regain momentum. 

All this said, my two main issues with the show are there is some exposition that I would have liked to have seen, rather than been told and I don’t know too much about Luke’s character.  He’s around, he serves the plot but, to this point, that is all. 

All in all, I would recommend watching ‘2 Buds’.  At times the male, raunchy humor is very, very funny and when Lee’s drama pops into play, the show takes a nice emotional turn.  I will continue to tune in for the next 4 episodes.

3.25/5 Stars  

- George McCann